


My Azure Love

by EliseVanderG



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Female Jack Pattillo, M/M, Major Character Injury, Ramwood - Freeform, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, some non-con action but like three lines of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 00:56:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14344596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseVanderG/pseuds/EliseVanderG
Summary: Ryan's been keeping secrets that Geoff's been open about from the start.--The man had his tattoos on display in his baggy white tee and equally baggy black track pants. There was another reason why Ryan liked this place. It was neutral territory to all of the crews in Los Santos. The woman at the counter, Ryan never caught her name but he felt it was Pam or something, even knew who he really was.“Your eyes are the same,” she had whispered. “Can’t hide those pretty blues from me,” she winked.He was also sure she had like six glocks and two shot guns strapped under the counter but that was beside the point.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a random FAHC one shot and it will probably be my only work in this fandom but here you go!!!

The Vagabond was not a name everyone knew. If anyone saw him, they would recognize him, but they did not always call him ‘Vagabond’. Near Liberty City, he was simply ‘Him’ or ‘He’ or maybe some numberless name for death personified. The Vagabond was called that primarily on the west coast where crew and gang leaders whispered about him in meetings, trying to determine if it was worth it trying to hire him to take out one of their rivals.

 

Dealing with him normally went one of two, maybe three, ways. He either accepted the job at a steep price and got it done quickly and flawlessly, or he rejected it and the one offering died. Sometimes, though, the third option was what happened in Toronto. The leader of a large crew there had hired him to take out a rival. He’d done it, then killed the boss that hired him because he had gotten paid off by that man’s other rival.

 

Ryan was another name not everyone knew. Ryan, known to his extended family and childhood neighbors as JR or James if they didn’t like him very much, was a quiet man with somewhat windswept shoulder-length sandy hair, perpetual stubble, kind of round cheeks, a problem with Diet Coke, and startlingly azure eyes. He was a transplant to Los Santos from a small town in Georgia near the South Carolina border and no one batted an eye at his unassuming self. Small town folk were common in Los Santos, California, trying to make it big in the city and escaping the harsh seasons that Liberty City was susceptible to.

 

Ryan was at Maize Bank waiting at an ATM to withdraw some cash from his account. Three of the six were out of order so there was a sizeable line but the flat screen in the corner made the wait a little more bearable as there were five people in front of him and the one at the machine was a seventy-something year old bitty that he was 85% was legally blind and refused to acknowledge it.

 

On the TV was a news report detailing the latest crime committed by Vagabond: a tech company where about $5 million in technology and thousands of pages of sketches, ideas, and patent proposals, and other confidential info was stolen. They showed security footage of Vagabond breaking in and escaping, his signature black skull mask hiding his identity and allowing him to walk in unafraid of his cover being blown.

 

“Fucking horrible,” the man behind Ryan muttered. He glanced at the man curiously out of the corner of his eye. He had an impressive handlebar mustache and Ryan could see a peek of tattoos at the collar of his shirt. “You know that place had to have security guards and they don’t show a single one rushing in.”

 

Ryan hummed in thought. “The media tends to frame things to control public perception anyway. I’m sure they’re just sensationalizing it.” The guy had a Bluetooth or something in his ear and Ryan barely heard it flicker on. He couldn’t hear what was said but the guy’s eyes flickered away from his before coming back. His lips twisted in some mockery of a smile before he looked back to the TV. That didn’t sit right with Ryan for some reason. He made a show of reaching for his back pocket and pretended to look for something. “Fuck, I left my wallet in the car!” He hissed.

The black haired man looked from the TV. “You in the parking lot?” At Ryan’s nod, he continued, smiling more openly. “I can hold your spot for you while you get it.”

 

“Thanks so much!” Ryan pulled his car keys out his front pocket and ran out the bank. He pretended to rummage around his car, all the while wondering why the male seemed familiar to him. An explosion rocked the bank and two armored trucks pulled up at once, blocking the entrance of the building. About three or so people, dressed in all blue like the black-haired man, ran into the bank with guns and duffle bags. Ryan watched from the parking lot as they cleared the bank out in two minutes flat. The black-haired man was grinning as he ran out and jumped into the passenger’s seat of one of the trucks. As it sped away, he caught sight of Ryan.

 

Ryan went to a different MB branch and withdrew his money later that day.

 

\--

 

A degree in IT and the savvy to start his own business meant Ryan got to make his own hours and he worked from home. Home was a three bed, two and a half bath home on a quaint hillside road just outside downtown. With his money, he could afford to drive a nice car, mid-range, but the highest trim available and with his _money_ he had an underground garage closer to downtown that stored his _nice_ cars.

 

It was almost six in the morning when he got back home. He had a client to deal with around noon and six hours of sleep was more than enough. With a sigh of another solo heist well done, he locked his car in the garage and entered his home, hurrying to his room to put away his weapons and infamous uniform. He’d learned from his contacts the man he saw at the bank was Geoff Ramsey, leader of the most powerful crew, the Fake AH Crew, that had the city on lock.

 

Ryan showered then fell onto his bed with the portfolio on FAHC. Geoff Ramsey, his second Jack Pattillo, pyro Michael Jones, getaway driver/hacker Gavin Free, and all around muscle and hitman Jeremy Dooley all had pages in the hefty folder Ryan read through.

 

With a cluck of his tongue, he slid it into his nightstand drawer and quickly fell asleep under his thick and plush comforter.

 

Ryan woke up with ten minutes to spare before his appointment. He got a can of Diet Coke, buttoned up a button-down but remained in only his boxer briefs and sat his desk in his office with his glasses perched on his nose as his computer connected to his client. With a chirp, their webcam opened and Ryan smiled.

 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Charleston! How are you today?” He began.

 

After his conference, Ryan changed into a graphic tee and pair of jeans with his sneakers and went to get some food for dinner. He didn’t feel like cooking so takeout it was.

 

There was an Italian place on Vine and 1st Avenue that had the closest thing to actual New York style pizza on that side of the Mississippi, Ryan was sure of it. He called in an order for two pies that would last him a few days and made his way over so that he wouldn’t have to wait as long. When he got there, there was quite a few people than he usually saw and the delivery drivers were running in and out fetching orders.

 

“Ryan?” The woman behind the counter called him over. “Hey, kiddo, your pies just went in, sorry. Give it about ten.”

 

“That’s fine,” he smiled at the woman. She in her late fifties with short and spiky white hair and bright pink lipstick. She beamed at him and nodded to the wall of refrigerated drinks. “Go get a couple of drinks and have one while you wait, on me.”

 

“Thank you, ma’am,” he let a bit of the southern drawl hit his voice and the woman blushed and giggled, waving him off. He pulled two Diet Cokes, a can and a 2-liter – she never specified what size –  out and opened the can, sipping from it as he walked over to some stools.

 

“Ryan, huh?” Years of having to survive unexpected and often nasty, bloody, loud surprises, kept Ryan from stiffening or jumping in shock. He saw Geoff Ramsey sitting at the table across from him. He wasn’t visible at the front counter, which explained why Ryan had not seen him when he came in.

 

The man had his tattoos on display in his baggy white tee and equally baggy black track pants. There was another reason why Ryan liked this place. It was neutral territory to all of the crews in Los Santos. The woman at the counter, Ryan never caught her name but he felt it was Pam or something, even knew who he really was after he came in after a job then a few days later came in from home.

 

“Your eyes are the same,” she had whispered. “Can’t hide those pretty blues from me,” she winked.

 

He was also sure she had like six glocks and two shot guns strapped under the counter but that was beside the point.

 

Not knowing what to say, he merely nodded at Ramsey.

 

“Well, I’m sure you know by now who I am.”

 

“A bank robber?” Ryan chanced and Ramsey laughed.

 

“How long have you been in Los Santos?”

 

“Not long at all, about four months,” Ryan shrugged. He’d been there for that long, true, but had been active as Vagabond for only two. He needed to learn the city enough for getaways after all.

 

“Have you heard of the crews here?”

 

“On the news, can’t really trust the news though,” he replied, sipping his soda.

 

“True,” Ramsey nodded, “I’m the leader of one of those crews. Fake AH, if you’ve heard of it.”

 

“I’m sorry, should you be telling me this? What if I go to the police?”

 

“You won’t,” Ramsey’s voice was level, calm, and serious unlike before. “You had a chance earlier and you didn't. Also, you don’t get to the top like me without having some sort of intuition about people.” Ryan could feel the saliva pooling in his mouth. He wanted to swallow but that was so cliché. “At the bank, you purposefully left moments before we set those bombs off, didn’t you? You knew something was about to happen and you didn’t leave your wallet in your car, it was in your jacket pocket the whole time.”

 

Ryan calmed himself and met Ramsey’s cold gaze, his own eyes cool. “You let me go, though.” Here, Ramsey smiled once more, the façade cracking.

 

“You were smart enough to get out and I respect that.”

 

“So what do you want from me?” Geoff stood when Pam (he really needed to get her name) called out for him. He pulled a business card from his pocket and gave it to Ryan. There were numbers scribbled on the back.

 

“We’ll see, Ryan. Also, that’s my personal cell on the back,” Geoff left him with a wave and went to the counter to pay and collect the boxes of food. His name was called just after Geoff left.

 

“Geoff paid for your food, dear,” she giggled and handed his pizzas over. Ryan looked out the restaurant in surprise.

 

\--

 

Ryan as Vagabond…The Vagabond…whatever, he was never partial to the name anyway…rolled to a smooth stop on his motorcycle, engine purring under him as he surveyed the two people at the meeting spot. He knew the others were hidden, Dooley and Free were probably in a nest with scopes on him and Jones was off in the distance with his finger on a button probably. Before him stood Ramsey and Pattillo. Ramsey in his custom suit and Pattillo in a horrible Hawaiian shirt that somehow complimented her fiery red hair.

 

He had been waiting for the Fakes to contact him for a couple of weeks now. There was a rival crew, Funhaus, that was stirring up some trouble north of Los Santos by San Francisco, and he was betting on Ramsey wanting to dispose of them or at least put them back in line.

 

“Vagabond, an honor to meet you,” Pattillo nodded and shook his hand. Ramsey did the same. “As you know, we’ve got a job to propose to you. I’m sure you’ve heard of Funhaus, yes? We just want to send a message to them. We’ve looked at your rates too. We can do this for $300,000, half up front with a 20% tip if you do really well.”

 

Ryan cocked his to the side as if thinking.

 

“Do you want any bodies?”

 

“Just the lower ranking ones,” Pattillo answered. “Maybe two or three of them to send the message.”

 

Ryan nodded and shook her hand again. She grinned and handed him a suitcase of cash. He quickly checked to make sure there were hundred dollar bills throughout each stack and then got on his bike and left without sparing Ramsey a second glance.

 

The job was quick and easy, especially since he wasn’t under a deadline. He drove up north and quickly dispatched five underlings by the main compound and used their blood to write a love note.

 

When he came back to Los Santos, Ryan had a couple of days of downtime before Pattillo contacted him again and arranged another meeting to deliver the rest of the payment. To his surprise, it was only Ramsey there to meet him in person.

 

“Here’s your payment,” he handed the suitcase over. Ryan took it wordlessly. “I know you don’t do crews, you make too much going for hire, but I’d like to extend the offer to you.” Ryan tapped the suitcase and Ramsey huffed out a laugh. “Yes, I figured I’d have to pay a lot more to keep you but I think we’ll make it worth each other’s time.” Ryan shifted his weight. “Just think about it,” he handed Ryan a business card. He flipped it over to check but there was nothing on the back of it. He lifted it and nodded then got back on his bike and sped off to his garage.

 

\--

 

Ryan had the whole day free after handling three calls that morning and nothing else scheduled after that. He did a load of laundry, including the jeans he kept Ramsey’s business card in. Daytime heists were a rarity so he probably was free at eleven in the morning.

 

“Should I?” Ryan bit his thumb as he looked at the numbers. It had a lot of 5’s in it. He shook his head. He would be mixing the lines of business and pleasure and that was dangerous. It was doubly dangerous considering what type of business he was in. It was triply dangerous considering he went by a whole other identity. But he wasn’t going to join the Fakes. He couldn’t form those types of ties and Ramsey was right, he made too much having no loyalty than having one crew.

 

He picked up his personal phone and dialed Ramsey’s number before he could talk himself out of it.

 

“Geoff speaking,” he answered jovially and Ryan started, not expecting such a quick answer.

 

“Hi, Geoff. This is Ryan.”

 

“Ryan the Bank Guy,” he cheered. “How have you been?”

 

“Busy with work, a bit,” he chuckled. “I uh…thought I’d call…not really more after that,” he muttered to himself and Geoff laughed having heard it.

 

“It’s fine, I had a plan. What do you say about going out to eat? How about dinner?”

 

“That sounds great!” Ryan bit his bottom lip, rolling his eyes at how excited he sounded. “I’m a little busy the next couple of days but I’m free tonight.”

 

“Tonight is great actually. Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to meet at the place?”

 

“It depends on what you have in mind,” Ryan’s voice dipped a bit and he flushed. Oh god.

 

Geoff choked off something on the other end. “I…There’s a-uh Asian-fusion place downtown that just opened if you’re okay with that.”

 

“That sounds great. Parking’s a bit tight down there though. Could you pick me up?”

 

“I sure can, where?”

 

“1st and Vine?”

 

Geoff laughed, “Sounds perfect. I’ll get you at 7.”

 

“Amazing, thanks. I’ll see you then Geoff,” Ryan and Geoff said goodbye to one another and then he ran out of his living room and all the way to his bedroom where he fell face first on his bed and screamed. “I’m such a fucking idiot!”

 

Ryan parked his car a block away on a residential street and walked to the intersection where the Hand-to-God-ugliest pink sports car was idling. Geoff was leaning against it.

 

“What kind of shit is that?” Ryan blurted before gasping in shock at he said. Through the tinted windows he thought he saw leopard print.

 

Geoff laughed. “It’s my statement piece, do you like it?”

 

“We can take my car instead,” Ryan was about to beg to do that.

 

“Come on, no one’s going to mess with us in this car.” He lifted the car door and yup, there were leopard print seats. “Cheetah, actually.”

 

“Rich people,” Ryan rolled his eyes and slid in. Geoff laughed and closed the door and ran over to his side, throwing the car into drive and speeding off.

 

It was probably the best first date Ryan had ever had. Geoff did not boast about his wealth but he wasn’t exactly modest about it either and he was a true gent, even pulling out Ryan’s chair and waiting until he started eating first when the first course was brought out. Both declined drinks with Ryan admitting he was something of a teetotaler and Geoff confessed he was in recovery. Instead they sampled a collection of imported teas, some hot and some iced, throughout the meal and shared a dessert together.

 

Geoff dropped Ryan off back at the corner with a kiss on the cheek and the promise of a second date.

 

\--

 

Ryan did a couple more jobs for the Fakes. Ramsey paid him too well to decline. The last job had him with Pattillo on a drop off.

 

“I know it’s been about two months or so since Geoff offered you a place with us. Have you given it any other thought?”

 

“Yes,” his verbal answer surprised Pattillo badly as she jumped in her seat and the van swerved a bit. Up until that point he’d only ever given nonverbal answers, unwilling to speak in front of Ramsey out of fear that Geoff would recognize Ryan even through the muffling of the mask.

 

“Oh,” Pattillo laughed nervously. “So what are you thinking?”

 

“Maybe,” he said shortly and kept looking ahead. The job was done in less than two minutes and they were driving back to their own rendezvous point so Ryan could head out for the night. The night included Geoff coming by around 1.

 

He was back home by midnight and took a shower. He combed out his long hair and gathered it in a ponytail as he spruced up the house until Geoff rang his bell.

 

“Hey Geoff,” Ryan smiled as he answered the door. Geoff grinned and backed him into the house, kissing him solidly. Ryan moaned as he was dipped backwards a bit, arms wrapping around Geoff’s neck. “You’re in a good mood,” Ryan commented once they broke for air.

 

“I had some promising news at work,” They stood up straight and walked into Ryan’s bedroom. They fell onto the bed together and Geoff took off his button down, lounging in his slacks and undershirt. A couple of weeks into their relationship, Geoff confessed he was glad Ryan knew of his real job. He didn’t have to hide who he was or what he did from Ryan and was able to openly protect him, no secrets or lies involved to keep him in the dark.

 

“Oh? Is it about Vagabond?” Geoff also told him about his efforts to court Vagabond into joining the crew.

 

“Yeah, Jack said he was considering joining. It’s more than what we’ve had before.”

 

Ryan bit his bottom lip before opting to ask anyway. “Why do you keep pushing for him? It doesn’t seem like he wants to join you. But you keep throwing money at him.”

 

Geoff sighed. “I know, I know. But things are…this is the calm before the storm,” Ryan snorted at that. Just two days ago Geoff stumbled into the house with three bullet grazes and some minor bruising after a crash following a deal at an airfield gone wrong. “I’m serious, Ry,” Geoff was. Ryan sobered up. “Other crew leaders are gathering up in arms. Funhaus is gearing up to make a move on Los Santos, we’ve got Las Muertes from freakin’ Mexico creeping up from the border on us and the Triad from Hong Kong’s been destroying shipments from Japan, Korea, and Vietnam for us all…no one’s telling their men yet. Not until we’ve got something more concrete concerning who’s going to strike first. I want Vagabond on our crew because when shit hits the fan, I want to come out alive and I don’t want one of the others to buy him out from under us.”

 

Ryan exhaled shakily. He hadn’t heard of any of that from any of his contacts aside from the Triad messing with some ports in South Korea. He and Geoff were on their sides facing one another and Ryan buried himself when Geoff, inhaling his scent of sandalwood, shea, and vanilla deeply.

 

Geoff ran a tattooed hand through his hair. “I don’t mean to scare you, babe. It…I know it seems scary being involved with a guy who’s in the thick of that.”

 

“No…just…maybe explain that to Vagabond?” Ryan looked up at him. “Maybe if he knows, it’ll help him make an informed decision.”

 

“I don’t think he cares about anything besides his cut,” Geoff said despondently. He yawned and Ryan smiled wryly.

 

“Take your ass to sleep,” he teased and settled in for the night.

\--

 

“I’ll join,” Ryan kept his voice deeper than usual as he watched Ramsey. His dark blue eyes widened and he smiled excitedly before settling on a neutral smile.

 

“Thank you for hearing me out,” they were alone in an office in one the Fakes’ warehouses. Geoff had obviously listened to Ryan’s advice and asked Vagabond to meet him there to lay everything out. “I’d appreciate it if you waited to talk about this to everyone else. We’re still gathering as much information as possible.”

 

“I understand,” Ryan nodded through the mask.

 

“Come on,” Geoff rose to stand and stretched. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

 

\--

 

Six months after Vagabond joined the Fakes, Ryan logged out his video conference app and shut down his work computer before fetching himself a soda. It was a productive day, especially since his clients weren’t so painfully oblivious to all things technology and each had serious complex issues he took care of. He walked into the living room to turn the TV on when he saw a dark gray car outside his neighbor’s gate.

 

There were two men standing outside of it, both Asian, and in fitted suits. They seemed to be looking for something. Ryan walked over and closed the blinds quickly before going to the portrait in the hall just outside his bedroom. He took it down and opened the safe underneath it, pulling out his suppressor attachment. He closed the safe, hung the portrait, and then went to his room. He kept a pistol under his pillow when Geoff wasn’t over and he attached the suppressor and put it on his waist.

 

He then sent a text to Geoff about the vehicle and used his property’s security camera to copy the license plate and sent that to him. He knew he’d send that info to Gavin.

 

_Stay inside and keep an eye on the cameras. When they leave, text me immediately._

_Will do_

_Stay safe babe_

_You too_

 

Ryan hunkered down in his office to watch the security cameras. The men got into the vehicle and left about forty minutes later and Ryan texted Geoff. Within fifteen minutes Geoff was inside his house, running worrying hands all over him.

 

“I’m fine. I don’t think they even noticed me closing the blinds.” Ryan soothed his agitated boyfriend. “Perhaps it’s time to tell your crew though. If they know I’m here…what else do they know?” Ryan was worried as well. He didn’t know if they were watching him because he was Vagabond and they found out or because he was dating Geoff.

 

“I’d feel better if I moved you to a safe house.”

 

“No, not yet,” Ryan shook his head. “It would raise more flags if they came to watch me and then I was gone after the first time.”

 

“Fuck,” Geoff whispered in way that Ryan knew meant he had the older man beat. Geoff took one of his three guns out and pressed it into Ryan’s hand. “Keep this with you, just in case. Have you ever fired one?”

 

“When I was younger,” he replied vaguely. It was good enough for Geoff who kissed him hard enough to leave his lips throbbing.

 

“I’m going to have an emergency meeting with the crew. Do _not_ leave this house,” Geoff nodded his own head at the demand. With another kiss and the promise to come back later that night, he left. Ryan watched him go then ran to change and drive to his garage for his sports car. As he was making sure all of his weapons had enough ammo in the second garage, his crew phone pinged with a text from Geoff calling an emergency meeting. He tore out of the garage and went to the penthouse.

 

The crew, and every crew in Los Santos were on high alert after Geoff sounded the alarm of the Triad creeping in. Ryan counted three more occasions that someone was stalking the house and he was no closer to finding out who they were after: the mercenary or the boyfriend.

 

He was home one evening, about two weeks after the first incident, waiting for Geoff to come by after he went to a deal with Jack and Jeremy. He had been invited to hang out with Michael and Gavin but declined since he and Geoff made plans, not that the lads knew. He heard an engine revving up the hill and looked out the window to see Geoff’s Zentorno pulled into his driveway. There were a couple of bullet holes in it.

 

Instantly worried why the car would have holes in it when it didn’t when they left hours ago, Ryan opened the front door to step out and ask what happened. The door opened and Geoff didn’t step out.

 

Ryan didn’t have time to run, only to pull the gun from his waist that he’d taken to carrying inside his house and start shooting. Two men jumped out of Geoff’s car and began to fire at him. One hit his outer thigh, but struck the phones he kept there and left him uninjured. Ryan ducked behind his front door and locked it before running for his stash at the rear of the house. The front door exploded off its hinges the same time the back door did. Some shrapnel hit him and he covered his face with his arms, trying not to breath in the smoke.

 

Something struck him in his stomach. It wasn’t a bullet. He looked down to see a dart peeking through his shirt.

 

“Fuck.”

 

“Get Ramsey’s toy!” An accented voice ordered. Two men grabbed him roughly and slammed him to the floor, driving the dart in more and unknowingly causing the phones to fall out his pocket. Another man came up and injected more tranquilizer into his neck. Ryan’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.

 

\--

 

Geoff screamed in frustration and pain as Jack wrapped his forearm up. It was a trap! This was some General Akbar shit! It was supposed to be a simple deal: they deliver some drugs, the client delivered some money and then they skipped away happily but the Triad was lurking in the shadows, using the buyers as bait to lure the Fakes. Worse of all, they’d stolen his car. As a matter of fact, that seemed to be what they were after as they stopped shooting at him when he was grazed on the arm.

 

Jack had driven her own car so they were able to go back to the base in her Entity. He called up Michael, Gavin, and Jeremy as well to meet them there. All of his calls to Vagabond went straight to voicemail and it was making Geoff both worried and even angrier.

 

Michael was cursing up a storm. “Why would they want your car of all things?” Michael asked once he calmed down. Gavin was flicking through all the security cameras in the city trying to the find the eyesore of a vehicle but wasn’t having any luck.

 

“I don’t know and fucking Vagabond won’t answer his fucking phone!” Geoff ranted, kicking a chair.

 

Jeremy cleared his throat, seeming hesitant to suggest what was coming next. “What if he’s helping them?”

 

“What was that,” Geoff said dangerously, a growl building in his chest.

 

“He always worked for the highest bidder, right? The Triad’s nothing to turn your nose up at. Even though he’s technically with us, if they paid a lot more than we usually do, what’s stopping him besides loyalty he’s not known for?”

 

Geoff was clearly about to rip Jeremy a new one when Jack’s phone rang.

 

“Hey Treyco,” she answered. She was silent for a few moments. “Repeat that address. You sure? Seems kind of odd to find it out there.” She began to pace. “Okay, thanks.”

 

“We found your car, Geoff. It’s on a residential street. Treyco was on police scanner, neighbors called in with reports of gunshots and explosions.”

 

“Where, Jack?”

 

She frowned. “It was at 150 East Allison Court. It seems odd it would be there though. Geoff? Geoff, are you okay?”

 

Geoff went still and deathly pale. “No, fuck! Give me your keys, someone!” He screamed. Jack threw her keys without a second thought and Geoff ran out the warehouse and flew out in her car.

 

“What was that about?” Gavin gawked.

 

“I don’t know but we’re following him,” Jack set her shoulders. They poured into two vehicles, Michael and Gavin in one and Jeremy and Jack in the other. They followed behind Geoff as close as they could with how fast he was driving and nearly crashed a couple of times each zooming through busy intersections. Jack called in the B-Team to distract the police and get them away from the house. When they rolled up to the house, it seemed the diversion worked and what officers that there were quickly dispatched.

 

Geoff looked to be on the verge of a panic attack as he looked at the front of the house. There were drops of blood and dozens of shell casings on the ground, the side of the house and his car were riddled with holes.

 

“RYAN!” He screamed, stepping into the house. There was still some smoke in the air. “Ryan!” He yelled once more.

 

“Geoff!” Jeremy called after him. “Geoff! Who the hell is Ryan?”

 

Their boss stopped in the hallway leading to the rear of the house by the kitchen. There were two phones on the floor. One he recognized by the blue case as being Ryan’s, the other was their crew phone belonging to Vagabond. Both had bullet holes through them.

 

A deep, cold fury built in his chest as he looked at the destroyed house. Jeremy was right. Vagabond was a fucking sell out and he took Ryan.

 

“So you’ve been in a relationship for almost a year,” Michael began after Geoff told them everything. Geoff nodded. “And this guy, Ryan, knew from the start that you’re the leader of the Fakes,” another nod, “And he still got with your crazy ass?”

 

“Michael,” Geoff sighed tiredly. He wanted a drink so badly. “We’ve got to find Ryan before the Triad does something else to him.”

 

“And we’ve got to kill that fucking rat,” Gavin hissed. “He sold us out right quick to them!”

 

Jack rubbed Geoff’s shoulders. “I know this is what you were trying to avoid.”

 

“It’s my fault too, I told him this might happen when I asked him to join us,” Geoff rubbed his face tiredly.

 

\--

 

Ryan woke up with cotton mouth. He moved his jaw to generate some saliva and swallowed it reflexively when the door to the room he was being kept in slid open.

 

“James Ryan Haywood,” the man had a mouth of gold and oily hair slicked back. “How are you tonight? I know you must’ve had other plans, probably keeping Ramsey’s cock warm, hm?” Ryan didn’t outwardly react but he couldn’t wait to kill him already. The man walked closer to Ryan and grabbed him by his jaw, forcing him to look his captor in the eye. “What a pretty little whore you are. I’ve never seen eyes so blue before,” he mused before leaning down. He brought up his other hand to slam against Ryan’s face. He grunted at the sudden pain before a tongue was being shoved down his throat. He struggled against the straps holding him on the bed and the man climbed on top of him, grinding down against him as he continued his assault.

 

Ryan bit down on the tongue as hard as possible and blood filled his mouth so fast he gagged and threw up instantly. The man fell off of him screaming in pain and surprise of the vomit volcano that erupted from his prisoner.

 

A few henchmen ran in to pick the guy up as he screamed frantically in Cantonese from what Ryan could tell from everyone else yelling. He had no tongue. They rushed him out and then another crew came in and began to clean Ryan up. They sedated him once more so he was conscious but could not move as they moved him to a new bed and bathed him and dressed him in a simple robe.

 

He drifted off to sleep after.

 

Sometime later, he woke up to another man, not as grungy looking at the last, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.

 

“I apologize for my employee. I assure you he’s been dealt with,” his voice wasn’t as accented. “My name is Li Jiu,” he nodded.

 

Ryan worked his still sore jaw. “What do you want with me?”

 

“I wanted Ramsey. I wanted Vagabond. My plan was to use you to lure both Ramsey and the Vagabond here, now that the famous mercenary has actually joined a crew. I would kill Ramsey and then make a bargain with Vagabond to either join the Triad and help take down all the major players here on the west coast and be rewarded handsomely or die. But there’s been an interesting development, a couple I should say, actually.” Ryan met his eyes. “Ramsey’s blacklisted Vagabond for betraying the Fakes. And then when my men were sweeping your house…they found these,” a dozen black skull masks were thrown on the ground for Ryan to see. “He doesn’t know, does he? He doesn’t know he’s been fucking Vagabond for the last year!” Li laughed madly at the revelation.

 

“So what are you going to do now?” Ryan said apathetically, playing into his Vagabond persona.

 

“I’m still going to kill Ramsey. You, his beloved toy, are still here after all. But you have a choice, join me or die with your lover.”

 

“I wonder which I will ever choose,” he said dully. Li sneered and walked over to him, backhanding him sharply.

 

“I’ll give you time to think. In about an hour my men will move you to another location. My recent epiphanies have changed my plans.”

 

\--

 

Geoff and Jack walked up the piers, glancing around at every shadowy corner as they walked by themselves. The ringleader of the operation to kidnap Ryan had sent a lackey to deliver the message to meet them at the south side piers at two in the morning. Geoff called in every favor he could to surround the place and his allies, even his rivals, jumped at the chance to defend their home turf, especially since the Triad were trying it in such an underhanded way.

 

The message had said to only bring Geoff and one other person. Of course Jack volunteered.

 

“Greetings, Ramsey,” Li emerged from a warehouse to meet them on the actual pier.

 

“Li Jiu?”

 

“Yes,” he confirmed, flicking a soft lock of hair over his shoulder. “I do not see Vagabond with you. I expected you to bring him as your plus one.”

 

Geoff narrowed his eyes. “We’ve had an…issue with him.”

 

“Ah, an issue? Perhaps because you can’t get ahold of him?” He didn’t give Geoff time to answer. “Of course not. He’s right here.”

 

Ryan, not that Geoff knew it was Ryan, was dragged out before him. His arms and legs were bound tightly and his mask was firmly on his head. His head shook side to side as he struggled.

 

“How did you get him?” Jack demanded.

 

“You thought we had Ryan?” Li teased them. He walked over to Vagabond and ripped the mask off. Sandy blond hair tumbled down and Ryan was hidden underneath, a white cloth gagging him. His blue eyes were bright and Geoff balked.

 

“You dressed him up as Vagabond and for what?”

 

Li smirked and looked at Ryan. “You did tell me he wouldn’t believe us at first, hm, Ryan,” he commented. “Your lover’s been leading a double life, it seems. By day, he’s James Ryan Haywood, IT consultant and boyfriend to criminal mastermind Geoff Ramsey. By night, he’s Vagabond, the most infamous mercenary in the world and subordinate to criminal mastermind Geoff Ramsey. Impressive acting,” Li clapped and his men gathered around clapped as well.

 

Geoff was shaking his head throughout his monologue. “I…Ryan’s not,” he looked at Ryan, met his eyes. Ryan’s eyes were an electric blue and he was crying, pleading, only through his gaze, for forgiveness for his deception. Geoff choked on his words at the truth he was suddenly confronted with.

 

“But let’s get to why we’re here. Ryan, Vagabond, here as an important choice to make. Either way, you and your second will die tonight, Ramsey. But Ryan here can choose to join you or to join me and live.” He half-turned to face Ryan. “What will it be?”

 

Ryan closed his eyes and hung his head. He shook his head and glared up at Li.

 

“No, you won’t join me?” Li hummed. “Is that your final answer? I’d really hate to lose a talent like you.”

 

Even though he was gagged, the ‘fuck you’ he spat out was quite clear. Li waved a hand and a lackey appeared with a gun in hand. He handed it over to Li who pointed it at Ryan and took the safety off. Just as he pulled the trigger, two more shots rang out and struck Li who hit the ground. Ryan crumbled to the ground as everyone simultaneously ducked for cover and began to fire their own weapons.

 

“Ryan!” Geoff called out. Ryan was left out in the open, still bound but the ropes around his chest were turning red and blood was pooling under him. His long hair was obscuring most of his face and Geoff’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t breathe until Jack thumped him on the back.

 

“We’ve got to get Ryan covered.”

 

There was a barrage of bullets, a mini-gun. Michael appeared, slowly walking forward and unleashing hundreds of bullets at their enemies. He nodded at Geoff.

 

“Go get him,” he yelled out over the sound of his weapon. Geoff used the cover to go up to Ryan and drag him behind a wall by his feet.

 

“Ryan,” Geoff cradled him close. There was so much blood. Too much blood, he thought frantically. He pushed the hair aside as saw a hole going clear through the side of Ryan’s neck. It had severed an artery, Geoff knew immediately. He untied the gag and wrapped it twice around Ryan’s neck tightly to staunch the flow. He had another gunshot wound in his stomach that was bleeding sluggishly. Geoff spoke into the comm for anyone to get a car by his position so they could get Ryan out and to some medical attention. Lindsay responded that she was on her way with a van, ETA less than a minute. Her time ended up being as she was still talking to Geoff. They quickly loaded Ryan into the back and raced to the hospital.

 

Geoff kissed Ryan’s clammy forehead, praying for the first time in a long time for something to go his way. Ryan tensed suddenly, his shallow breath catching before he relaxed completely. Geoff, unsure of what that was about, tried to shake him awake. He put his ear to Ryan’s mouth and a hand on his chest. He felt neither warm breath nor a rise in his chest and Geoff’s own breathing caught.

 

“Ryan! Ryan! Please God, Ryan!” Geoff screamed.

 

“What’s wrong, Geoff?” Lindsay yelled back.

 

“He’s not breathing! Lindsay what do I do?”

 

“Start chest compressions! Every twenty or so breathe into his mouth! One compression a second, keep doing that until we get to the hospital. It should be about two minutes.” Geoff laid Ryan flat on the floor of the van and began to do as he was told.

 

\--

 

Ray, a former member of the Fakes, launched an RPG into the warehouse once Jack called a retreat. Michael hit up all the other warehouses from a helicopter piloted by Gavin. Jeremy and Jack sped off in her Entity, heading towards the hospital while everyone else cleaned up. The Triad, or at least that branch of it, now thoroughly destroyed, would take a while to clean up.

 

It had taken a while to get out. Jack looked at the clock on the dash. Geoff and Lindsay should’ve made it to the hospital about forty minutes ago. She pulled up at the main entrance and they were about to rush in when they saw Lindsay’s bright red hair near the side of the hospital. They ran over to her to see her talking to Geoff who was hunched over on the ground crying.

 

“Geoff! Lindsay, what happened?” Jeremy asked as they stopped running. Lindsay’s eyes were red as well. “Is Ryan okay?” Geoff cried harder and Jack and Jeremy looked at each other, scared of what the answer might be. Lindsay ushered them a little bit away from Geoff.

 

“…We lost Ryan a couple of times. On the way here he stopped breathing and then again in the operating room just now. I had to bring Geoff out so he didn’t see any more doctors rushing around trying to save him. We’ve no idea if he’s going to make it,” her voice was very low. “I don’t think he will, honestly.”

 

“Lindsay, I wanna go back,” Geoff wiped his face clean and stood up.

 

“You sure,” Lindsay waited for confirmation.

 

“I need to go back,” he revised his statement. His three crew members, his friends, all helped him back in to the waiting room. Michael, Gavin, Trevor and the rest of the B-Team all rolled up and crowded the room and stood guard outside and throughout the hospital.

 

Jack kept an eye on the clock. One hour, two hours, three, four, five – she fell asleep after her adrenaline receded and woke up to see another four hours passed. She wondered why she woke up but saw a couple of doctors and nurses standing before the crowd and Trevor’s hand on her shoulder.

 

“Geoff already went in to see Ryan,” he whispered. She stood up and walked over to the doctors and nurses. They informed her that they managed to fix him up as well they could but he wasn’t out of the woods yet and they were keeping him in a coma until they felt he would pull through. She thanked them profusely and asked when Ryan could have visitors. They said one at a time but that Geoff was listed as Ryan’s next of kin and would probably remain his only visitor.

 

“I’ll stop by to make sure Geoff’s okay then,” she said gently but the challenge was there. The lead doctor quickly amended his statement to say that they were all welcome so long as they didn’t cause any patients any stress. She thanked them for their generosity and then ushered her crew out so they could wash up and rest up some more.

 

\--

 

Geoff couldn’t tear his gaze away from Ryan’s prone form. His precious boyfriend with a Diet Coke problem and granny glasses and dinosaur slippers was Vagabond, the most ruthless merc in the world and of the last, Jesus, maybe millennia. He had a body count in the _thousands_ and yet, apparently, couldn’t correctly boil an egg. International governments were always watching out for him but with no identity to trace it back to, he traveled freely and unassumingly. His mind was blown.

 

Ryan was still pale though he was regaining some color thanks to the blood transfusions. His neck was wrapped tightly in thick bandages, as was his abdomen, and his hair fell around his shoulders. Wires and tubes taped to him and injected into him kept him alive for the time being and Geoff held his hand throughout the night and day. God, he wanted a drink.

 

Jack stopped by with some deli sandwiches from his favorite spot and he hadn’t realized how famished he was until he was done with the whole thing. Jack huffed in laughter at his side before kissing his cheek and leaving. A nurse rolled in an extra bed for Geoff to sleep in instead of the chair provided. Gavin came by that evening with a duffle bag of clothes and toiletries to use in the bathroom attached to Ryan’s room. It felt good to shower. Michael and Jeremy delivered games to play and books to read and stayed for about three hours playing CoD with Geoff before leaving. A day turned to two turned to five turned to a week before Jack dragged him home.

 

“The doctors said that Ryan will pull through now that he’s made it this long. They just have to decide when to bring him out of the coma,” she was ever the voice of reason and made sure Geoff actually slept in his bed that night. She had taken over his duties as leader of the crew but kept him updated in briefings every day. Two weeks after… _after_ …the hospital called Geoff to inform him they would be bringing Ryan out of the coma. He was there in minutes.

 

It took a couple of hours for anything to really change with Ryan once they stopped giving him the medicine. His eyebrow furrowed a few times and he groaned once but otherwise stayed asleep, and the doctors assured Geoff that he would wake up on his own, probably in the morning.

 

Geoff elected to stay the night just in case. His intuition was proven correct when Ryan woke up around three in the morning for a few moments. He looked at Geoff, squinting before he smiled, squeezed his hand, and then went back to sleep. It was probably the best moment of Geoff’s life. He woke up again in the morning and stayed awake long enough for an exam before he yawned.

 

\--

 

Ryan was discharged another two weeks later and Geoff took him to his penthouse as he didn’t want Ryan going back to his house.

 

“My business,” he lamented the day he was discharged and saw Gavin’s laptop on the coffee table. Geoff chuckled and wheeled him to the master bedroom.

 

“Trevor and Matt have been standing in for you lately. Your clients know you’re on a medical leave of absence, don’t worry.” Geoff lifted him onto the bed where Michael and Lindsay went overboard buying new pillows and blankets. “Now, remember physical therapy starts next week, so we’ll start some little things this week.”

 

“Geoff,” Ryan grasped his larger hand. The older man looked at his lover. “I am _so_ sorry for lying to you like that. For so long,” he squeezed his eyes shut. “I…I should’ve been honest when you first offered me to join.”

 

Geoff sat on the bed and brought Ryan into a kiss. He still tasted of his cinnamon toothpaste. “I forgive you. I do. Really, I do,” Geoff soothed him. “You were protecting yourself, I get that.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Ryan cried softly.

 

“Besides, getting shot twice and then dying twice is enough punishment,” Ryan coughed out a laugh that pulled at his delicate and healing skin. He winced at the pinch. Geoff pushed him back onto the pillows and kissed him once more. “Now rest up because the sooner you regain your strength the sooner we can plan our wedding. It’s gonna be huge with as many people as we have to invite.”

 

“Our wedding?” Ryan sputtered. Geoff opened his bedside table and pulled out a ring box.

 

“I was going to propose soon before…everything went to shit and all. But now, I’m not going to lose you again!” He slid the ring on a stunned Ryan’s finger. It fit perfectly.

 

“Can I say yes first?”

 

“Oh, so you were going to say yes?” Geoff raised an amused brow.

 

Ryan pretended to scowl at him before he grinned instead.

 

“Yeah, I was going to say yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise from Geoff's POV...kind of

The crew had been planning this job for a couple of months. Each heist and robbery they pulled off taught them something for the next one and Geoff and his crew learned that they needed to improve on the speed of their heists once it kicked off. Too many times had things gone array because they couldn’t get out fast enough. Sure, each time they fought their way out relatively unscathed, but the close calls were slowly affecting them more and more.

 

This time, this time they planned much more carefully. Gavin created some dud cards and over the course of a couple of weeks the crew went to the Maize Bank main branch and took a couple of ATMs out of commission. From previous hacked footage, they knew that while the machines were out of order the bank often transferred any cash left to the still working ones. In the end, leaving three of the six machines working meant the crew spent less time getting the money. They also took a few of the computers off line, leaving only two tellers available at the counter. 

 

The day of the robbery, Geoff woke up from his little two-hour nap ready to go. He would be in the bank for crowd control with Jeremy. Gavin and Jack were the drivers in the operation, standing by in some alleys in armored trucks. Michael was on the roof of the office across the street ready to detonate the small charges they planted the night before. 

 

Geoff watched Jeremy get in line for the tellers, his clothes for once not the garish vomit-inducing purple and orange since Geoff instituted a blue-only wardrobe for the job. Geoff hopped onto the shortest line for an ATM that had a little old lady up front. Her nose was practically touching the screen. The screens should have some glitches due to another set of fake cards they used previously. 

 

He was waiting for Gavin to finish hacking into the vaults so they would be open for him to run into and clear. In the meantime, he was watching the man in front of him as discreetly as possible. He was maybe two inches taller than Geoff, lean and toned with sandy blond hair piled on top in a bun that on anyone else would be ridiculously trendy but he made it look like  _lazy_. He wore a thin brown suede jacket and Geoff could see his hand was gripping something in the pocket and at first Geoff thought maybe he was packing. No one could ever be too safe in Los Santos. However, the indentation was much too square to be a gun – it had to be his wallet. The man sighed and turned to the TV across the lobby where they were running a report on the Vagabond’s latest piece of work.

 

Geoff had heard of Vagabond, first heard of him years ago when he massacred a yacht full of cartel higher ups off the coast of Miami then started burning Liberty City to the ground and of course, who could forget the spectacular double cross that was in Toronto? He was an actual ghost. No one knew his name, where he came from, even his ethnicity since he always wore gloves and that fucking mask. And now he was in Los Santos. Geoff was originally going to rob the bank for shits and giggles but with Vagabond in town, he was going to use the money to lure him in, maybe get him to do some work for the crew. His most recent job was something Geoff wasn’t sure his crew of five could pull off and the man did it singlehandedly.

 

“Fucking horrible,” he muttered looking at the footage playing on loop. The scenes showed the building as almost completely vacant as Vagabond strutted around. The man in front of him glanced at him and wow…those were some  _very_  blue eyes. And wow, that man was very cute with a little bit of stubble a couple shades darker than his hair and slightly round cheeks but a strong jawline. Geoff figured he should elaborate. “You know that place had to have security guards and they don’t show a single one rushing in.”

 

The man gave a little hum, rising briefly onto his tip toes before falling back. “The media tends to frame things to control public perception anyway. I’m sure they’re just sensationalizing it.” Geoff was about to respond before Gavin crowed over his ear piece (a bit too loudly, he needed to lower the volume or something) that he was in and was just waiting for the vaults to actually open up once his coding was ‘authenticated’. He couldn’t help the smile that flashed across his face at the news, especially once Michael confirmed he was ready whenever. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cute guy tense momentarily before reaching for his back pocket. He grasped around for a few seconds before hissing, “Fuck, I left my wallet in the car!”

 

Geoff turned his head from the TV to look at the guy fully. What was he talking about? His wallet was clearly in his front jacket pocket. The guy looked to the exit. Ah, he might have heard Gavin. Shit. But he was cute, and Geoff really didn’t want to have to kill him.

 

“You in the parking lot?” He nodded and Geoff smiled at him kindly. “I can hold your spot while you get it.”

 

“Thanks so much!” The man smiled and ran out the bank without a second glance. Yeah, he definitely suspected something. He turned his head away from the line so he could open his mic.

 

“Michael, can you see a man outside? He’s got long blond hair, brown jacket, jeans,” he described briefly. 

 

“Yeah boss I see him. He’s looking for something in a silver car in the lot. Do I need to take him out?”

 

“No,” Geoff hurried out. “I think he might have overheard Gavin over the earpiece. Just keep an eye on him in case.”

 

“Smart kid,” Jack scoffed from her end. 

 

“Indeed.”

 

“I’m in!” Gavin cheered. 

 

“Michael, go,” Geoff ordered. The lights in the bank flickered before dying out as the explosion rocked the building. Geoff took a moment to glance at the now splattered corpse of the old lady that was standing up front before he whipped his pretty Uzi out of his pocket and unfolded the empty duffle bags. Jeremy was already holding up the tellers and Geoff ran to the vaults, leaving Jeremy to handle the lobby. He cleared out the vaults Gavin unlocked in mere seconds and ran out to where Jack and Gavin were in the trucks out front. 

 

With a cheer he and Jeremy ran out the bank and he hopped into the truck with Jack. As they sped off, they passed the parking lot where the cute guy was waiting by his car, watching him with those startling eyes.

 

\--

 

Geoff was slouched in the booth of his favorite Italian joint waiting for his massive order to be completed. The Lads had spent all day squabbling over what to eat for dinner before Jack yelled at them all that they would have pizza and Geoff would fetch it since they were now going to be grounded like the children were acting like. Geoff wondered why  _he_  had to be punished too.

 

And then, there was a change of luck. 

 

“I’m here to pick up for Ryan?” Geoff sat up straighter at the voice. Nah, it couldn’t be him, right? He peeked over the booth and his stomach rolled. It was him, the bank guy. Sam, the woman at the counter and the biggest badass in Los Santos (and Geoff would fight anyone on that), told Ryan something and he pulled two Diet Cokes and sat at the stool across from Geoff’s booth. While he was preoccupied with enjoying his can of soda, Geoff hastily wrote his cell on the back of his card. He couldn’t resist saying something to the man. 

 

Ryan didn’t seem too intimidated by Geoff, in fact he seemed to be playing coy now that he knew Geoff was a criminal. He even called Geoff out on letting him run out the bank moments before their heist began. Their conversation was cut short when Sam called up Geoff, sadly. At the counter, he paid for Ryan’s tab too. Hopefully the man would call him.

 

Back at the penthouse, while the boys were fighting over who got the biggest cut of the meatball parm sandwich and the biggest slice of pepperoni pizza, Geoff and Jack sat off to the side.

 

“From what I’ve gathered, Vagabond is pretty reasonable,” Jack wiped her greasy fingers on a clean napkin, idly chewing her own slice. She had a folder Matt and Larry compiled of Vagabond’s past jobs and current rates. Geoff hoped she was referencing the rates and not the jobs because spelling out ‘fuck you’ in corpses was, in his book,  _not reasonable at all_. $300,000 for his famous ‘love notes’, such as the aforementioned corpse formation, was actually dirt cheap considering other mercs charged that for just one standard hit. 

 

With Geoff’s approval, Jack reached out and coordinated a meeting with Vagabond. While they were waiting for him, Geoff could feel excitement brewing within him. A meeting with Vagabond was like playing roulette. If he liked what was offered, yay he did the job, if not, well…it didn’t end well. Hence, the Toronto warning, Geoff recalled. Also, he would be meeting a legend face-to-face…or mask. 

 

Vagabond pulled up on a sleek black motorcycle and was decked out in his usual outfit of a black and blue leather jacket and dark jeans. Geoff couldn’t see his eyes through the mask and the man said nothing. Jack cleared her throat and began to speak.

 

Geoff instructed her to leave out any mention of deadlines. He wanted to give Vagabond as much freedom as he could afford to give for this job to get on his good side. From their research, he knew Vagabond also liked to take his time. His MO usually included waiting, striking fast and striking hard, and then letting the resulting aftermath play out while he laid low. 

 

He was able to breathe when Vagabond got on his bike with the suitcase and sped off, having accepted the job.

 

As soon as they could no longer hear his bike, Jack fell to her knees.

 

“Holy shit,” she gasped, clutching her chest. Geoff fell against the car heavily, running a shaking hand down his face.

 

“Holy fuck he is frightening,” Geoff laughed hysterically. “Oh my god,” he gasped, hunching over to put his head between his knees. Jack was still on the ground hugging herself. 

 

“I’m crying,” she wiped some tears away and crawled over to the car. “Let’s go home,” they managed to drag themselves inside her car and her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t put the car into drive. 

 

Geoff fumbled for the pack of cigarettes in the glove compartment. No one in the crew regularly smoked but it helped to calm the nerves sometimes. He took a few long drags and passed it to Jack. They sat for another twenty minutes before pulling away.

 

“Jack, what happened to your knees?” Jeremy demanded as soon as they walked in. “Did Vagabond do that?”

 

“No, no,” Jack quickly calmed him, running a hand through her hair.

 

“He kind of did,” Geoff cut in however. “Dude is scary as hell, I swear. We spent like twenty minutes trying to calm down after talking to him for less than two minutes! It was unbelievable the aura around him!”

 

“He was that scary?” Michael was clearly skeptical.

 

“Jack fell to her knees as soon as he was far enough. Oh my god,” Geoff was jittery all over. Ah, he needed a drink.

 

The job went off two days later. Geoff smiled at the pictures the B-team delivered, captured from drones flying over the Funhaus compound. Vagabond had written a fucking  _haiku_  in their blood. Geoff laughed so loudly his boys almost barged into the room.

 

“Look at this!” He laughed and showed them the pictures. “Ah, Jack, we have to give him a 50% tip. Take it out of my personal account, I don’t even give a fuck. Look at this!” He slapped his hands on the desk. “We’ve got to get him in our crew.”

 

“Dude,” Michael was still in awe over the photos. “He’s rejected joining the Italian Mafia, the Greek Mafia, and the Yakuza. Why would he join our little crew?”

 

“We’ve got charm,” Geoff declared with a confidence he didn’t quite feel. He hoped, perhaps, that Vagabond would see their promise and take a chance on that instead.

 

\--

 

Geoff was absolutely infatuated with Ryan. They’d been on a number of dates over the last three months and Ryan had even invited Geoff over for a few nights. Ryan was new, so new and fresh and bright, and Geoff just felt like every moment was  _light_ and _good_  because he didn’t need to hide anything about himself from him. Ryan laughed when Geoff told him stories of heists-gone-wrong and soothed him when his anxiety flared up because of one reason or another. There was a particular night he went over to Ryan’s after hearing a former crewmate, Miles, had been found dismembered in Austin. Ryan held him all night without a word. When Geoff was absolutely itching for the familiar burn of alcohol, Ryan handed him a tin filled with packs of gum, a dozen bottles of different sodas, and opened Netflix on his TV to stream Chef’s Table and had Geoff’s head in his lap all night.

 

Geoff had never had a relationship where he didn’t need to hide who he really was or what he really did. Sure there was one woman who came close, god bless her she was amazing, but even she didn’t know he was head of the Fakes. She had pinned him as some low level lackey who wasn’t notable enough to get his hands dirty. When she did find out, she tried to go to the police about him and a rival crew put a hit on her to get back at Geoff.  He was up front about that with Ryan and he just smiled and turned back to the pancakes. He liked them fluffy in the middle and crispy along the edges. 

 

“I’m not scared, Geoff.”

 

“Why aren’t you? You should be terrified.”

 

“You’re here, we’re discreet. You said earlier that crimes don’t go down in this neighborhood and I work from home so why would I be out where the crimes  _do_  happen?”

 

“I hate it when you use logic like that,” Ryan laughed at his grumbling and plated his breakfast. He sat down and began to spread the butter out before diving in. “And use syrup!”

 

“I don’t like syrup!” Ryan said around a mouthful. Geoff pointed to the bottle on the table. “I bought that for you, dumbass. Now eat!”

 

Geoff scrambled across the table to kiss him. Bits of cake got everywhere but it was worth it for the hazy look in those stunning eyes when he pulled away. “I swear I love you.”

 

Ryan choked on his food.

 

Geoff also wanted to bring Ryan over to the penthouse some day. He asked Ryan to join him multiple times but the blond refused each time. Geoff really did hate it when Ryan used logic to shut him down because he hadn’t thought about how possible enemies could be watching the building at any time and notice a pattern of Ryan coming or going or if some special intelligence got leaked or a mission was compromised because of him. Ryan would soothe the rejection immediately after, normally with tender kisses and a tumble in his bed, but he was content to have Geoff over at his house nearly every day.

 

On a specific day, this specific day, Geoff had nothing to do. There were no heists to plan, no deals to make, no meetings to hold. He was absolutely free and so he had stayed the night at Ryan’s. He’d only done it once before, not having the luxury to do it often with his career. That day, Ryan had taken off but this day he had a few calls to make and so Geoff watched him putter around the bedroom in a dress shirt (and only a dress shirt) as he combed his hair.

 

Ryan glanced at him from his closet where he plucked a tie off the rack. “Why don’t you make breakfast?”

 

“I want to watch you,” Geoff folded his arms behind his head. He smirked when Ryan’s gaze dropped to his flexing muscles. 

 

“Not much to watch,” Ryan finally mumbled as he put the comb down long enough to knot the tie. He then braided his hair and pinned it up. “I’m going to the office for my first call. It shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.”

 

He left the room with a parting smile and a flash of what was underneath the shirt (miles of gorgeous skin) and Geoff rolled out of the bed, shivering now that the blankets weren’t covering his most private bits. He dressed up in some lounging clothes he left over from last time that Ryan had washed, folded, and stored in  _his_  drawer and went to make the previously requested breakfast. He could only hear Ryan’s voice but couldn’t make out any words from the closed office door but just listening to it was enough as Geoff made a rather scrumptious omelet.

 

\--

 

Geoff hit the bottom of the magazine to load the gun then double-checked the safety was on before sliding it into the holster hidden by his blazer. Vagabond was on the other side of his desk, casually reclined against the wall by the door with his arms crossed. 

 

“Okay, let’s go,” Geoff walked around his desk and left Vagabond to follow him. He wasn’t looking forward to the meeting at all. He’d had horrible nightmares all night long about his crew being wiped out since he received news of another shipment being taken from the Triad and the ship’s crew brutally slaughtered as it pulled into a port near San Diego. He’d dreamed of Ryan being found murdered in a similar fashion. 

 

The Vagabond was a silent and imposing figure as they walked into the small airstrip he had agreed to meet at. The group was headed by a woman – kind of short and stocky with tattoos all over her chest and a dead eye – who blanched upon seeing the infamous mask. 

 

“I’d heard you managed to leash Vagabond. I try not to put so much stock into rumors,” Maria huffed. She worked as a running crew for Las Muertes and was Geoff’s first step in getting the larger gang to back the fuck off. 

 

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he shrugged casually. “His loyalty extends to how fat I can keep his wallet and how much the job entertains him.” He saw that Vagabond had the nerve to nod with that. What a prick, Geoff thought, amused. Over the last couple months with him in the crew, he’d come to appreciate the twisted sense of humor the mysterious merc unleashed at the oddest of times. Ryan was much the same way. But now was not the time to think of his boyfriend. Right, make some deals, Ramsey.

 

Maria scoffed but motioned for Geoff to sit at the rickety table they set up. “Jaime and Javier, in particular, are not too happy with this Hong Kong Triad moving in either,” she began. “They still want a piece of the Los Santos pie though. They’re hoping that working with you will put them in your good graces. You know,” she lazily waved a hand, “The enemy of my enemy bullshit.”

 

“And what can Jaime do?”

 

“Jaime can speak to Javier on your behalf.”

 

“I didn’t know you had such a direct line to the big boss,” Geoff commended her.

 

“Well my little sister is fucking Esposito’s son and having his kid so yeah, I’ve got a better connection than before. You know how Esposito values family. He can then go to Emmanuel and try to get you in.” 

 

Geoff considered it. Jaime was Javier’s right hand man and Emmanuel, the big boss, was Javier’s older brother. He was an old fat fuck who probably didn’t have much time left regardless of the bounties on his head. He’d want to make the transition to his younger brother or even his nephew as painless as possible if he was going to kick the bucket. By Geoff agreeing to play buddy-buddy to deal with the Triad, he’d be achieving that goal.

 

“What do you think?” He looked over his shoulder to where Vagabond had a hunting knife out, idly polishing it. Jesus Christ, Geoff thought, this guy is a nut case. Vagabond didn’t even look up, just nodded once. “Alright,” he shook Maria’s hand. “I want a word with either Javier or Emmanuel in no more than ten days.”

 

“I can get you a date within five,” she was quick to promise, already standing up and dialing on her phone. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ramsey, Vagabond,” she nodded at them both. Geoff and Vagabond said their goodbyes (Vagabond twirled his big ass knife around fancily and scared everyone) and went back to Vagabond’s car.

 

In the comfort of the car, Geoff turned in his seat. 

 

“Did you have to take the knife out?”

 

Vagabond cocked his head to the side as if in thought before speaking. “Don’t trust them just yet.”

 

“Have you dealt with them before?”

 

“Javier…he is sneaky. I’ll come when you meet him. You can trust Emmanuel.”

 

Geoff hummed as if considering it. But given that the Vagabond had more international contacts than a little bit, he trusted every word.

 

Maria came through on her end and arranged a meeting in a fancy-schmancy hotel uptown. Vagabond texted Geoff that he would meet him at the hotel so he wouldn’t scare the public by strolling up in full get-up. Geoff figured he would put his disguise on in a bathroom or something. He arrived early and waited in his car outside, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone going in who might be his mysterious ally. There were a few people that went into the hotel but none were as tall as Vagabond. Just when Geoff was about to give up, he received a text from Vagabond stating he was inside and had been waiting for the last fifteen minutes for Geoff.

 

Well, that solved the mystery of if Geoff had inadvertently seen him.

 

Javier Esposito was man in his sixties who hobbled with a cane and had a stump for a hand. His many injuries from a reckless youth were catching up to him. He had thin hair slicked back to cover the bald spots but his clothes were top quality, a light blue guayabera and khakis. He smiled, revealing about six gold teeth, before blanching at seeing Vagabond enter the room after Geoff.

 

“Vagabond,” Jaime swallowed. “I see you’re doing well,” he nodded. Vagabond lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. He pulled out the hunting knife again and sat down in the chair next to Geoff and began to polish it lovingly. Javier further paled at the knife.

 

“Geoff,” Vagabond’s voice had that distinct gravelly tone to it, like he was always growling. “This knife was a gift from Señor Esposito here. An unintentional gift, mind you,” he paused to look up at Geoff. “He hired me for a job once, it paid well and it was interesting so I took it. The target ended up being someone very close to him. I didn’t even know until I was looking through my crosshairs and the person that walked into my sight was Emmanuel Esposito. I refused to take the shot and confronted him and he gave me this beautiful knife.” He shifted the blade in the light. Geoff admitted it was a beautiful knife with steel that glinted blue and purple in the light. “He gave it to me by stabbing me. I pulled it out and cut off…well,” he nodded to the gnarled stump that was Javier’s left hand. “Are you going to be honest today? Play nice for a little bit,” he teased. It was the most Geoff had ever heard him speak. 

 

Javier downed his drink and slammed the glass down.

 

“I’ve always fucking hated dealing with you,” he snarled. 

 

“Then put us through to your brother,” Vagabond responded instantly, nearly cutting the older man off. Geoff wondered how this meeting ran away from him.

 

“I’m already here,” Emmanuel was wheeled into the room in his wheelchair. He looked about the same as his brother despite being almost twenty years older. “This meeting is a mere formality,” he nodded to Geoff. “Of course you have my aid in dealing with these assholes from Hong Kong. I am forever indebted to Vagabond here for refusing to carry out the hit my brother put on me.”

 

“With all due respect, sir,” Geoff began uncertainly. “He’s still here.”

 

“Yes well, I figured making him my bitch would be much more humiliating than death,” his reply was prompt. Geoff snorted and commended him. “I figured my brother would appreciate this little reunion.” Javier was scowling in his seat but Vagabond seemed pretty unperturbed. He even put the knife away. Emmanuelle chuckled. “Shall we get to the point of this meeting? The Triad, what do they call themselves?”

 

“Jade Lotus, they are anything but tranquil,” Geoff scoffed.

 

“Jade Lotus, hm,” Emmanuelle drummed his fingers against the armrest of the wheelchair. “I’ve heard of them in maybe the last ten or so years, I believe. Regardless, I will offer my support to you due to owing Vagabond my life. Whether you need manpower or gun power, I will aid however and wherever I can.”

 

“That is extremely generous of you, Señor,” Geoff bowed his head and Emmanuelle waved him off.

 

“Like I said, I owe Vagabond my life. And I had not realized you made Los Santos your home now and joined a crew,” he now addressed Vagabond. “Out of respect, I will back off the territory. My brother and nephew will also respect this decision. Now, I have a lunch reservation to attend you so I do believe we’re done here. Vagabond has my cell phone numbers should you need to contact me.” He was rolled off with his brother hobbling behind him.

 

Vagabond told Geoff to go back to base without him, he was done for the day. Geoff knew he was not done for the day but figured he could take the rest of the day off after being so essential in getting what he wanted.

 

He recalled the day’s events to the crew back at the penthouse. No one could believe they managed to get someone in the crew who had the personal phone number of the leader of one of the most vicious cartels around currently.

 

With nothing planned until the evening of the next day, Geoff snuck out the penthouse around midnight and went to Ryan’s.

 

He smiled when Ryan answered the door in only his underwear. It meant he was about to go to sleep. His hair was also a lovely mess of loose curls and fly away locks that blocked a clear view of his eyes. Geoff entered the home and wrapped Ryan in his arms, wordlessly leading them both to the bedroom. Geoff didn’t feel like having sex and Ryan was too drowsy to start something frisky so they simply stretched out under the thick comforter together, Geoff running his hands over every inch of his boyfriend’s body while Ryan hummed and nodded off against him. His arms were clutching Geoff’s tee and he ran tattooed fingers over his forearms. His fingers caught the now familiar scar there. It was maybe three inches long but not very thick. Ryan had said it was from a piece of glass in a car accident long ago.

 

He didn’t have too many scars over all. There was that one and then a small puncture wound on his calf he said was from the same accident.

 

“Ryan,” he whispered but he had fallen asleep completely, huffing against his scruffy throat. Geoff smiled into the dark room and allowed himself to sleep as well. He thought back to the ring sitting in his bedroom at the penthouse, knowing in his heart he was making the right choice.

 

\--

 

Geoff paced around his office much like a caged rabid beast. His muscles rolled under his clothes as he tensed and relaxed in intervals. The office was a mess. Books were strewn all over, glass littered the carpets and crunched under his shoes, and the furniture small enough for him to throw were upturned and some were broken. Jack was calling in everyone they could while the Lads scrambled with the B-team to get all the supplies needed.

 

“Geoff,” Jack called out to him. He came back to himself and the office. “I’ve got Emmanuel Esposito on the line asking for you. Well, demanding more like it,” she handed him his cell phone.

 

“Ramsey speaking,” he said softly, voice unable to go any louder with how he was feeling.

 

“Why is Vagabond blacklisted?” Emmanuel demanded, his accent coming in thick.

 

“We have reason to believe he’s gone behind our backs to help the Triad.”

 

“No, he would not do that!” Emmanuel objected loudly. “He’s not known for his monogamy, true, but whoever employs him has his trust and loyalty. Toronto was the exception because Crews hired him first and he took Boots’ offer to get close enough to him to carry out the hit. But other than that, he would not do this! There must be something else.”

 

“Emmanuel, please,” Geoff ran a hand over his face. “The Triad kidnapped my boyfriend and there was evidence that Vagabond was there with them when they did it.” The line was silent for a few moments.

 

“When was the last time you were with Vagabond?”

 

“Yesterday morning before I went to a deal gone bad.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“The Triad used it as a trap to steal my car. We think they stole it to get R…my boyfriend to think it was me and lure him out.”

 

“Did Vagabond seem distant to you lately at all?”

 

“Not at all,” Geoff sighed. “It’s why this is fucking me up.”

 

“I still don’t think everything is what it seems. In the meantime, I’ve got about a hundred men heading towards you. Direct them as your own. They’ll be bringing some extra toys as well.”

 

“Gracias, Señor,” Geoff thanked him sincerely. They said goodbye and he handed the phone back to Jack. He informed her that Emmanuel was sending men and weapons up to help. Everyone was organized within hours in a way Geoff had never seen. News spread quickly that not only had the Triad made its move, but that they attacked Geoff Ramsey of the Fake AH Crew personally.

 

Crews, up in Canada, even had a personal jet fleet fly in with fifty men and a hundred RPGs. Ray came in from wherever he was ready to kick some ass too.

 

He was at a warehouse inspecting the new weapons when a messenger from the Triad came in. He delivered the message: meet Li Jiu at Pier 45, one o’clock sharp. Geoff put a bullet between the guy’s eyes just because he could.

 

The entire port was crawling with criminals that night. Geoff had arranged his men in a circle around the port and even had some on boats out in the harbor just in case Li’s men tried to escape. He had a few in helicopters and jets as well, all ready to take off at any moment.

 

Li Jiu had Vagabond dragged out, bound, and the revealed Ryan to be underneath the mask. He had believed, just for a half-second that maybe Emmanuel was right and Vagabond was also a victim in this. But then he was just playing with him by parading Ryan around in Vagabond’s outfit, wasn’t he?

 

No.

 

Ryan was crying silently, his eyes so blue and shining under the shitty lighting. He was terrified, not of Li, of Geoff and of his reaction. Geoff didn’t have time to process the revelation fully as Li presented Ryan with an ultimatum he rejected. He raised his gun to Ryan’s head…Geoff didn’t have a second to react before one of his snipers fired at Li, Li pulled the trigger, one of the Triad’s snipers fired and a second one of Geoff’s let loose. Both Li and Ryan collapsed instantly and a fire fight broke out. The sound of copters overhead was nearly drowned out by the powerful rounds they shot from the attached guns.

 

His only thought was getting Ryan out of there.

 

Some hours later, long after the sun had risen then set again, Geoff was holding Ryan’s hand. His were still stained pink, dried blood having flaked off over the course of the aftermath. Jack told him to focus on Ryan while she handled everything. Before she left, she commented on how handsome Ryan was.

 

“It’s a shame he hid all of that behind that mask,” she lamented before kissing Geoff’s cheek and leaving, smelling of orange and gunpowder.

 

Ryan was hooked up to a ventilator, a (hopefully) temporary trach being used to help him breath. There were two IV drips and a bag of blood as well. His eyes looked so bruised, his slightly olive complexion pale enough to show the blue and green veins underneath and his mouth had two tubes running into it. Geoff had no idea what they were for. He leaned over to brush his hair away from his face and kiss his cheek. It was chilled.

 

“You have to wake up, Ry-Ry,” Geoff muttered, voice hoarse from his previous crying. “You have to wake up for me, for us.” He rested his head on his lover’s thigh and continued to pray once more.

 

\--

 

“So…not a car accident,” Geoff tapped on the scar on Ryan’s forearm. The younger man groaned and rolled over, his engagement ring catching the light. He pulled the blankets up over his head but lowered them to peek at Geoff with those mischievous eyes of his.

 

“Not a car accident, no,” Ryan confirmed, muffled by the blankets. “Javier wasn’t that fast, even back then, so I managed to put my arm up and block him. Then I…you know.”

 

“And the leg wound,” Geoff inquired.

 

“Got shot in France by police once,” Ryan shrugged. “I was jumping out a window and they snagged me.”

 

“What did you do to the cops?”

 

“Well I had slashed an officer’s throat and stolen her gun. I used her gun to take down everybody else.”

 

“Fuck that’s hot,” Geoff groaned, kissing his fiancé. Ryan laughed and pulled the covers over them both.

 

With Vagabond and Ryan’s dramatic identity reveal, he was a lot less creepy to be around at the crew’s base. He walked without a mask on and joined in when they settled down to play video games, thoroughly whooping everyone’s asses half the time and causing pure chaos the other half. When they pulled off a heist and were out celebrating, he and Geoff cuddled up in a corner nursing sodas and whispering to each other. Gavin complained, loudly, likening them to watching his father get with a new step-parent.

 

That particular night, Ryan buried the lower half of his face in his turtle neck and blushed. He had taken to wearing them, still a little self-conscious about the scar from the surgery, but Geoff was working on that. As a matter of fact, he would have loved to be working on _that_ for a few hours now. He said as much to his fiancé (god, it never got old) and Ryan’s eyes went dark and half-lidded. He kissed Geoff, tongue dancing with his and leaving him tingling and squirming in his seat before he rose from the table with a whisper that he would get his bike. Geoff left Jack with a couple of bills to pay for the tab and then snuck away.

 

The bar was a usual hangout for them and as such, Geoff waited in the back alley for Ryan to pull up from where he’d hidden his bike so they could race back home.

 

He was leaning against the wall of the building when he heard a scuffle towards the end of it. A man stumbled from behind a dumpster with his pants at mid-thigh.

 

“You fucking cunt,” he slurred.

 

“I said to get away from me!” The voice was of a young girl and she ran from the dumpster, kicking the guy right in the nuts. Geoff winced at the thought of that pain. The man yelled out, as expected, and then slugged the girl. Geoff drew his gun but Ryan appeared, screeching to a stop on his bike. Without a word, he drew his own gun and shot the guy in the head. He crumpled to the ground and the girl pressed herself against the trash. Geoff ran over.

 

“You okay, kid?” He looked her over. Her cheek was swelling up up from the punch – she’d need ice right away – and she was a little bit filthy. She had obviously been living in the alley for some time, having used boxes to build a sort of tent with some holey blankets for warmth. Her clothes were dirty, a little wet since it rained that morning. She was almost dangerously thin with short blonde hair and grayish eyes.

 

“I’m fine. I knew something like that would happen sooner or later. I was ready,” she withdrew a switchblade and Geoff raised a brow.

 

“You didn't use it.”

 

“I was gonna,” she replied indignantly. “But then you guys showed up. Thanks,” she nodded at Ryan.

 

“How long have you been out here?”

 

“About two months,” she shrugged. “The group home ain’t looking for me though so I’m good.”

 

“How old are you?” Ryan asked with a twinge of amusement. The girl huffed and crossed her arms defensively.

 

“I’m nine.” Ryan and Geoff shared a look.

 

“Would you like to get off the streets? We’ve got a whole building to ourselves downtown with a huge penthouse.”

 

“You a boss?” She jutted her chin out.

 

“Something like that. I’m Geoff Ramsey,” her eyes widened at his name. Ah, she knew who he was. She bit her lip in thought, shifting her weight this way and that before she nodded. Geoff looked at Ryan once more.

 

Geoff knew he was in trouble when he met Ryan’s eyes; Ryan’s sweet, clear, gleaming azure eyes.

 

“What’s your name, kid?” Ryan asked her.

 


End file.
